[klaatumail] Re: John Lennon
- From: Jaimie Vernon <bullseyecanada@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <klaatumail@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 2 Nov 2010 09:42:24 -0400
> Date: Tue, 2 Nov 2010 09:28:44 Jim wrote:
>
> Jens: you got it 100% right. People need to remember that all
> celebrities are human first. I admire much of his music, just as I
> admire Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture and Tiger Woods' golf. But the
> way he treated his first wife and his first son should open the eyes of
> anyone who dares put Lennon on a pedestal.
Alas, Lennon is a martyr...something he would have also derided. I think it has
more to do with the fact that having been assassinated he gets a free pass from
being a deadbeat father, homophobe, raging alcoholic and drug abuser. It was
convenient to forget all of his miscreant behaviour when he hid
in his apartment for 5 years and professed to be the kinder, gentler,
Lennon.
A few songs about love and peace and understanding and suddenly the guy's a
saint. How soon people forget the absolutely cutting, nasty, vitriol that used
to come out of his mouth -- not the least of which was in his songs. Just
listen to "Run For Your Life".
I also have a problem with the re-imagining of Elvis Costello's public image in
recent years. The media fauns over him now. In 'the day', he was absolutely
hated by the media - for good reason....he was a self-absorbed, arrogant PR who
spent his time saying some pretty racist stuff about people like Ray Charles.
Now he's considered an elder statesmen. Sorry, he'll always be a snot-nosed
punk as he's NEVER apologized for the nasty things he said about other
musicians in public.
And don't get me started on Sting and Joe Jackson...and Cat Stevens.
Sing your songs, guys....but don't think for a minute you're role models for a
generation.
Jaimie Vernon
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